Safety is our primary focus in the SRS, we want you and your guests to stay safe for the entire season. Our goal is zero injuries—for you and your guests. In addition to the pre-season safety requirements, the initiatives below will help keep you healthy for the whole season!
Your Safety
Your first responsibility is to keep yourself safe. Don’t be a hero; there is no point in hurting yourself to save a guest.
- First and foremost: if you are injured or think you may be injured tell a supervisor immediately.
- If you are involved in a collision get the name of the person who collided with you.
- Use Spatial Awareness to be aware of everything that is going on around you at all times. Know what’s going on above you and on either side so if you need to move to avoid a collision you can.
- Understand, follow, demonstrate and teach the Responsibility Code. Assume those around you aren’t doing any of these things.
- Be aware of the 5 T’s and use them before you ski/ride to evaluate your environment:
- Terrain: Is the terrain too steep for your ability level?
- Traffic: How much traffic is there on the trail you plan to ski/ride?
- Task: What do you plan to do? Wedge turns on runs where everyone is straight lining is a bad idea.
- Tactics: How should I ski/ride a trail? If it’s busy make short turns on the side.
- Timing: What time of day is it? The freshly groomed slope in the morning is now a mogul run at 3pm in the afternoon.
- Surface: What is the snow like? Icy? Slushy? Adjust accordingly.
- Active Warm Up: warm up each and every morning prior to starting work.
- Take care, and avoid slips and falls while walking.
- Stay on Designated Routes while travelling from one location to another.
- Follow the rules:
- Do not ski/ride out of bounds (even off the clock), you will lose your job.
- Do not speed through “slow” zones or get stopped by a yellow jacket (even off the clock), you will have at least two weeks off work.
- Make sure all your equipment receives a safety inspection prior to your first day of work. You can get more information about that from your manager.
Your Guest’s Safety
All the concepts used to keep yourself safe apply equally to our guests, in addition to:
- Avoid “over-terraining”: The majority of guest injuries occur because guests are taken on terrain that is too steep too soon. They will be frightened or simply out of control, and likely won’t learn anything.
- Class Management
- Ensure that your guests ski/ride safely in a group.Don’t lose guests! Count and count again, and have a plan for anyone who gets lost (especially kids).
- Terrain Parks: have a park pass before going there.
- Talk to your supervisor before going on black terrain.
- “Ski/Ride Through” Zones: do not teach where it is crowded or narrow, ski/ride through those areas without stopping. These zones include:
- The bottom of Maggie’s, from Cat Track down to SteinsCat TrackSky ChuteThe bottom of RidgeThe bottom of Orion’s and CometThe top of California Trail above the Epic Photo view pointTamarack ReturnThe traverse on Olympic Downhill underneath North Bowl chairlift
- Using the Coaster and Tubing Hill for lesson guests comes with certain rules: please follow them.
- Kids on Lifts: we have specific policies and procedures around taking kids on lifts designed to keep them and you safe.